There are a number of gun control bills being talked about in Augusta right now, and the deadline for submitting bills is the Friday.

That means there's a good chance even more gun bills will be under consideration. Committee leaders and other lawmakers say the same sorts of changes being debated nationally are going to come up in the Maine Legislature: large capacity magazines, background checks at gun shows, even improving mental health laws.

The Legislature's Criminal Justice Committee will be the center for much of the debate.

The two Democrats who chair that committee say they believe it's important for Maine to deal with some of the issues here, in addition to what happens in Washington. And the Sportsmen's Alliance of Maine---which is a leading voice for gun owners -says it wants to be part of the debate. Both sides are saying they need to find reasonable, middle of the road answers to improve safety.